Scientists Say COVID -19 Can Cause A Condition Called ARDS And Reveals How It Damages Your Lungs

What many don’t know about COVID-19 is that when it started in late 2019, it started as a cluster of pneumonia cases whose cause was unknown. Obviously, the virus had just emerged its ugly head in Wuhan puzzling doctors who didn’t know what they were dealing with. Eventually, of course, they found out the reason which was the new virus Severe Respiratory Acute Syndrome-SARS-CoV-2 that was causing what we now know as COVID-19. Presently USA is leading the list of new cases with 16,354 confirmed new cases as per WHO reports. The worldwide figure has reached 332,930 with Italy, Iran, Spain, Germany and the US the worst affected other than China.

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1Overview of the Virus

Now declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, (WHO), the majority of those who will contract COVID -19 will suffer mild symptoms of cold, fever, cough etc. A new study has also linked digestion problems as early indicators of the disease but according to the WHO, 80% of people will recover without specialized treatment. 1 in 6 may become seriously ill with breathing difficulties and that’s what is important to know how COVID 19 is affecting the lungs in such cases.

Image Source: threatpost.com

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2A doctor explains what COVID19 does to the lungs

This brings us to the question as how COVID-19 can progress to more severe illness like pneumonia and what does that do to the lungs or the rest of the body. In a report found on Cleveland Clinic, a lung pathologist Sanjay Mukhopadhyay MD explained with the help of a video (at end of article) how the lungs are affected in severe cases of COVID19. The video details how COVID19 causes a dangerous and possibly fatal condition called ARDS or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Image Source: indiatimes.com

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3What’s the connection between coronavirus and ARDS?

Dr. Mukhopadhyay explained that it was Chinese researchers who linked COVID-19 to ARDS. Studies done in China which have been shared with scientists worldwide. Studies on 191 fatalities in two hospitals in Wuhan confirmed risk factors of the virus where 50 of 54 patients died of ARDS while 9 of 137 other survivors also acquired ARDS.

Said Dr. Mukhopadhyay “It’s a really, really significant contribution to death in these patients,” says Dr. Mukhopadhyay.